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Institutions of higher education (HE), public and private, are moving through a crisis period of tapped-out states, funding cuts, tuition increases and layoffs. It makes good sense to rise to meet these new realities with new ways of doing things, and the places that succeed will be the ones that do. A holistic approach is necessary whereby excellence in teaching and learning as well as research should be the ultimate aim. Among the various ways to achieve this, is the promotion of communities of practices (CoPs) among the academics. Therefore, CoPs are to be seen as an "extension" of any programme to achieve excellence, because as it has been shown it is the sharing of the tacit knowledge that makes the difference in any organisation in its pursuit for a competitive advantage. An HE institution should be considered to be at a greater advantage than any other non-academic organisation since each staff member is a knowledge worker whose mission is to transmit, create and incorporate new knowledge to the existing knowledge. This paper looks at the possible reasons preventing academics from participating in a CoP. It will be shown that CoPs can play a very important role in a university set-up. (Contains 1 table and 1 figure.)

The change from an industrial economy to a knowledge economy forced many organizations to change their modus operandi if they were going to survive in a sustainable way. The introduction of communities of practice (CoPs) by Jean Lave and Etienne Wenger shed new light on knowledge sharing and dissemination of information. Sharing, interacting, actively participating, collaborating and learning from one another become the central activities in a knowledge society. CoPs are everywhere. We all belong to a number of them--at work, at school, universities, at home and in our hobbies. In this sense everyone has experienced a CoP so it can be considered a common experience. Some have a name, some do not. We are core members of some and we belong to others more peripherally. CoPs are informal, naturally occurring, spontaneously evolving groups and the sense of community comes from defining them in terms of practice. A survey was conducted amongst academics in the Faculty of Management, University of Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa, to investigate how participants in CoPs experience knowledge sharing or lack thereof. The results of the survey and recommendations for the management of CoPs will be presented. (Contains 4 figures.)

Discusses the strategic management of knowledge assets for competitive advantage in enterprises. Presents an integrative, systematic approach that can be followed in order to improve the business value of the knowledge assets of an enterprise. (Author/AEF)

Social network analysis (SNA) is being increasingly deployed as an instrument to plot knowledge and expertise as well as to confirm the character of connections in informal networks within organisations. This study investigated how the integration of networking into KM can produce significant advantages for organisations. The aim of the research was to examine how the interactions between SNA, Communities of Practice (CoPs) and knowledge maps could potentially influence knowledge networks. The researchers endeavour to illustrate via this question that cultivating synergies between SNA, CoPs and knowledge maps will enable organisations to produce stronger knowledge networks and ultimately increase their social capital. This article intends to present a process map that can be useful when an organisation wants to positively increase its social capital by examining influencing interactions between SNA, CoPs and knowledge maps, thereby enhancing the manner in which they share and create knowledge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article questions whether knowledge resources can act as critical enablers for successful innovation in an enterprise in the South African information communications technology (ICT) industry and discusses the role of knowledge resources in enhancing innovation. The research reported on indicated that there is little empirical evidence that knowledge resources are used to enhance innovation in the enterprise. A case study was conducted in an engineering enterprise functioning in the high-end market of the ICT industry. Data was gathered through in-depth interviews with managers and documents were reviewed for an in-depth understanding of the enterprise. The enterprise has defined its software development processes as agile processes and has placed a very high premium on learning and knowledge transfer within these processes. The Development Engineering Division relies on small teams for knowledge resource sharing. The Sales and Marketing Division collects information to transfer into knowledge resources. The Research and Technology Design Division identifies solutions that are ahead of the market and employees share knowledge on lessons learnt from practice. The Business Services Division ensures that structures and practices are in place to support and encourage innovation. The Internal Support Services Division provides operational support and knowledge resources harnessed through these processes may enhance innovation of the product offering. A knowledge creation (KC) model was developed by combining several models and theories to analyse the use of knowledge resources for knowledge creation in the enterprise. It is recommended that knowledgemanagement be aligned with the enterprise's business strategy to enhance innovation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the results of an empirical survey about the challenges for South African knowledge workers in the knowledge economy. It states that respondents were asked to identify trends in the knowledge economy for 2014 and 2019. Among the trends identified by the respondents were more sophisticated information or communication technology (ICT), globalisation of the economy, and increased national/international competition.

Competitive intelligence (CI) as a strategic management tool is essential for organisations in developing countries. This article provides an overview of the current state of CI in Brazil. A questionnaire survey methodology was used where questionnaires were administered to CI professionals in organisations in Brazil. Only 46.1 per cent of the organisations indicated that they cope above average with changes in the external environment and the majority of the respondents strongly agreed that the CI function assists to quantify/ qualify strategic choices. The respondents do not use sophisticated analytical techniques to analyse data. It is recommended that organisations in Brazil should seek to engage proactively with the global environment by revising their strategic priorities. They need to redress critical competitiveness issues, most notably the establishment of the CI function as a strategic tool. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Organizations now rely on knowledge workers to take responsibility for their own career development. The demand for knowledge workers is on the increase, yet little is known with regard to their career perceptions and attitudes. This article focuses on exploring the issues and factors affecting the career development of South African knowledge workers. Specialization and dual career ladders are required to ensure that the knowledge residing in the minds of knowledge workers is not lost. A survey was conducted to determine career development opportunities for knowledge workers in South Africa. The results revealed that knowledge workers are motivated through traditional means such as money, awards, and recognition, but place less emphasis on temporary assignments and mentoring than their counterparts from other countries. Organizations should leverage the knowledge contained in the minds of their knowledge workers to create a sustainable, competitive advantage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Innovation is a key prerequisite for being organisationally competitive. Therefore, it is imperative that enterprises grow and mature their innovation capability. Knowledge management plays a fundamental role in the ability of enterprises to innovate successfully. Objectives: There are no formal guidelines for using knowledge management to grow innovation capability maturity. The researchers intended to develop a knowledge management framework that enables innovation capability. Method: The scope of the research did not allow for the practical implementation of the framework. However, five industry and subject theory experts evaluated the applicability and usability of the framework. Results: All five experts reported that enterprises could use knowledge management tools and organisational facilitating conditions to allow innovation capability maturity to grow. The importance of the framework is that it gives guidelines for using knowledge management as a vehicle for growing innovation capability maturity. Conclusion: The framework determines whether enterprises' organisational conditions and knowledge management tools are sufficient to sustain or grow their innovation capability maturity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study provided insight into the significance of the open Web as an information resource and Web search engines as research tools amongst academics. The academic staff establishment of the University of South Africa (Unisa) was invited to participate in a questionnaire survey and included 1188 staff members from five colleges. This study culminated in a PhD dissertation in 2008. One hundred and eighty seven respondents participated in the survey which gave a response rate of 15.7%. The results of this study show that academics have indeed accepted the open Web as a useful information resource and Web search engines as retrieval tools when seeking information for academic and research work. The majority of respondents used the open Web and Web search engines on a daily or weekly basis to source academic and research information. The main obstacles presented by using the open Web and Web search engines included lack of time to search and browse the Web, information overload, poor network speed and the slow downloading speed of webpages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Addresses developments in management theory with special focus on social context in which knowledge management takes place. Concept of business process engineering; Roots of knowledge management theory; Characteristics of knowledge-based enterprises; Business transformation; Learning enterprises; Innovation.

Investigates the influence of strategic transformation on organizational structures of information services. Methodology used in the investigation process; What is strategic transformation; Details on the uses of strategic transformation; Findings of the investigation.

Compares classical management in information services and self-directed work teams. Information on managerial activities; How the possibility of self-directed work teams can assume the responsibility for these activity; Calls for the formation of self-directed work teams; Description of the different roles of individuals in the teams.

Constructs a generalized framework upon which specific information-value assessment can be done. Identification of general trends from economic perspective, the organizational and resource management perspective, the costing, pricing and evaluation of information services and the social value for information.

Determines the information needs of managers for successful task performance in commerce and industry in South Africa. Provision of information to commerce and industry by technikons; Cooperation between information services and commerce and industry; In-house information service; Frequency of the use of information sources; Attitude towards the pricing of information.

Presents Burk and Horton's (1988) methodology of conducting an information audit to an assurance enterprise. Purpose of the audit; What the audit entailed.